Conference Agenda

Parasites are a part of everyone’s life; they infect our pets, the meat and crops we eat, and us. They also infect our iconic marsupial wildlife and the fish in our unique oceans and reefs, sometimes with devastating consequences. Australia, like everywhere else, also has a large number of common, human parasites, particularly in our remote communities. Some of these can be chronic, incapacitating and even life-threatening. Bernard Lee Singleton’s magnificent painting, Gula Guri mayin (which means “Heal the body”), explores themes of parasites and health. The Australian Society for Parasitology is known for its inspirational and groundbreaking outreach programs over the past two decades using games, art and technology to encourage new and innovative ways of engaging with audiences in the science of parasites. ASP researchers have developed and delivered hands-on activities to engage audiences in science and communicate about parasites and their impact on people in Australia and around the world. In this presentation audience survey data collected over 20 years will be presented to investigate changes in themes, styles and audiences of the ASP outreach program. Be inspired, delighted and maybe you'll be reminising along with the presenter, and finish with some hands-on fun!

Preparing the One Health workforce to detect and respond to zoonotic and parasitic disease threats demands practised, integrated decision-making across human, animal, and environmental health sectors. Australia's only veterinary school with a working farm on campus, Murdoch University co-locates a teaching veterinary hospital, research farm, bushland and wetland reserves, and public health facilities within walking distance of metropolitan hospitals, providing a natural living laboratory for parasitology and zoonotic disease surveillance training. BMS501 Zoonoses, Pandemic Surveillance and Preparedness is a core unit within Murdoch's Master of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. Field and laboratory practicals use the campus environment directly, with students conducting real sample collection, parasite identification, and vector surveillance across human, animal, and environmental interfaces on site. Students build preparedness plans, One Health stakeholder maps, and risk communication products in team-based workshops. Indigenous-led teaching anchors the unit in culturally safe governance and First Nations perspectives on surveillance. The unit culminates in a large-scale simulated outbreak using the EpiGames mobile application, opened to staff and students from human health, veterinary, and environmental science backgrounds. When the human, animal, and environmental health interfaces are literally on campus, authentic One Health parasitology training becomes possible.

Home‑school groups often face challenges in delivering science education, including limited access to specialised equipment and reduced confidence among parents when teaching complex concepts. These gaps create a valuable opportunity for researchers and academics to contribute their expertise through outreach, bringing authentic, hands‑on science experiences directly to learners.

A series of Microbes & Parasites Workshops (n=7), developed and delivered by a parasitologist and supported by the Engaging Children in Science (ECIS) STEM volunteer team, demonstrates this impact across Western Australia. The workshops have reached home‑school groups in Ocean Reef (2021), Baskerville (2022), Midland (2024, 2026), Izzelle’s (2025) and Gwelup (2026). Each session blends hands‑on science with creative STEAM activities, drawing on expertise in diagnostic microbiology, infectious diseases research and science communication. Through interactive demonstrations, storytelling and visual exploration, learners investigate bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites, discovering how microbes shape human health and the environment.

Aligned with the WA Science Curriculum, the workshops build curiosity, scientific thinking through inquiry, observation and age‑appropriate experimentation. The inclusive approach supports diverse learners, including children aged 4–16 and those with ADHD and autism, to ask questions, think critically and see themselves as young scientists. Challenges, insights and impact from this work will be shared.